TEMECULA: City tweaking its development code

New rules for family day care centers; "granny flats" term removed

The city is tweaking its development code, the rules and
regulations that govern how Temecula processes applications for
everything from wine bars to day care centers.

Some of the changes, approved Wednesday by the Temecula Planning
Commission in a 4-0 vote with Commissioner Ron Guerriero absent,
are cosmetic. For instance, the outdated term "granny flat" is
being removed from the code in favor of the less homespun
"secondary dwelling unit."

Some of the other changes, however, will change the way the city
does business.

"We're trying to make the process more streamlined and
efficient," city planner Patrick Richardson said after the
meeting.

The commission's approval means the slate of changes will be
forwarded to the City Council for consideration. Some of the more
significant changes:

-- Guest houses

The new code allows property owners to build guest houses on
their property ---- a dwelling between the size of 800 and 1,200
square feet ---- without a kitchen. The old code had limited the
size of guest houses without bathrooms and kitchens to 800 square
feet.

That code, said assistant planner Betsy Lowery, forced someone
who wanted to build a 1,000-square-foot pool house on their
property to add a kitchen and a bathroom to the plan.

At the request of Commissioner John Telesio, this portion of the
new code was modified to require a bathroom in a guest house.

Without that requirement, Telesio said, "You're going to end up
with a rental with an outhouse."

-- Wine tasting shops

Wine tasting shops will be allowed as a permitted use in certain
zones of the city but the new code will include information that
makes it clear to applicants that this provision of the code is
supposed to cover shops run by wine growers.

In an instance in which a non-wine grower is proposing to open
up a wine tasting shop, the applicant will be required to apply for
a conditional use permit.

Lowery said the new language was introduced to make the city's
code consistent with the language used by the state Department of
Alcoholic Beverage Control, which has two separate licenses for
wine growers and non-wine growers.

-- Development plan extensions

If a developer needs more time to secure financing and start
work on a project that has been approved by the city's Planning
Commission or City Council ---- an office building, for instance
---- the new code will allow the director of planning to approve an
extension without that request being heard by a public body.

Under the old system, any request had to be considered at a
public hearing held by a public body even if the plans had not
changed in any significant way.

Commissioner Pat Kight added a condition to this new piece of
code that requires the city to notify property owners within a
600-foot radius when the city is preparing to approve an
extension.

-- Family day care permits

The code will be updated to mimic the state's regulations on the
permitting of large family day care centers, which allow for the
care of up to 14 children in a home.

The old code required any request to open a family day care
center to be considered at a public hearing. The new code removes
that requirement and it allows city staff to consider an
application after property owners within 100 feet of the home have
been notified.

If one of the property owners requests a hearing, one will be
held. If there is no request or protest, the application will be
approved as long as the center meets all of the state's
requirements.